《The Path of the Water Spout》 Chapter One Bai Yao is young, in his early twenties and a strong cultivator for his age. However, the other youths and even the older men look down on him for being a water cultivator, viewing him as dead weight and leaving him out of the parties that go out every night to find and kill roaming demons. For his part, Bai was relieved to be left behind as it gave him more time for his books and to tend to his cultivation. He did not understand why the village elders refused to reach out to the city guards for aid against the constant demon attacks on their little village. After all, the village lay less than a kilometer outside the city walls, and they were all sworn to the city lord. Bai knew the lord would protect his vassals. Yet even the elders claimed they saw the value in pitting the men against the demons, strengthening the fighters. But Bai also knew the familiar sight of funeral pyres as, in dribs and drabs, the village sent their fighters to their final rest. This slow chipping away at the strength of the village left them all less secure. Should a demon, or lord forbid, demons get through to the village their defense would be in the hands of the older men, many of whom bore the scars of their own battles against the demons, and the women - and even him, the weakest. In truth, he agreed with their assessment. None of the abilities granted by his path would help stop a demon. He might be able to dodge their powerful attacks, and he could heal any minor wounds he took, but the path did not provide him any attacks until Body of Fierce Rains, the next step in the path. Worse, he was unable to empower any of the mana cannons which needed fire or wind mana. Nor could he erect earthen barriers or pummel the demons with rocks. The best he could offer was a bit of early warning if he was actively trying to sense for demons. Which he was not as he was deep in meditation tending to his cultivation. Bai felt the tug on his awareness as the faint feeling of danger took ahold and frayed his intent focus on cultivating his path. Demons! There were demons at the wall. It was too late to sound a warning. The older men and even some women were even now at the wall. He could sense their many auras. One of those he sensed flickered and then was extinguished. He felt panic rise in his chest and he rose from his meditative pose, his mind an unruly storm. There were so many. The village would be overrun without the younger men. The clever demons must have snuck in behind the hunting parties to unleash this attack on the village. If he could somehow get word to the warriors they would be able to attack the demons from behind. With the demons focused on the village it would be a massacre. But he had no idea if he could slip away from the village, let alone if he could alert the hunting parties in time to avoid the village¡¯s annihilation. He only knew he had to try. There was little he could do to aid in the defense, especially with the sheer mass of demonic flesh pressing against the defenders. With that thought firm in his mind and determination in his heart he slunk away from the village walls moving determinedly towards the rear of the village and a serene, little used pathway which led in serpentine fashion to the woods in which he would find one or more of the hunting parties. Bai knew there was no certainty in his chosen path and it was as likely he would fail to bring help in time, or even that he would stumble into a mess of demons himself.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. He pushed cautiously along the path darkened as it was by overgrown bushes and young trees, listening intently for anything his outstretched senses might fall to discover. His foot caught in an exposed root causing him to stumble forward only to catch himself against the trunk of another tree. He paused and forced himself to absolute stillness as he extended his senses while also listening, wary of any threat that might have been alerted by his clumsy stumble. The way seemed to be clear and Bai decided to throw caution to the wind and move with greater haste lest he be tardy in his efforts to secure relief for the harried defenders. A whisper of cowardice slithered through his soul, reassuring him that at least his own escape from certain death had been secured. He pushed back at the treacherous thought and recommitted himself to finding as many of the village''s young defenders as possible. He quickened his pace and soon found himself pushing hard against thin branches and thick bushes alike as he pressed against and through the dense vegetation of the little used path. Having pulled his sense of his environment close to his chest as he sprinted through the dense woodlands he failed to detect the lone demon until he was almost upon it and by then the demon was aware of him and all that was left was to try to save himself. Snarling, the blackened and twisted monstrosity launched itself at him with naked aggression and a simple-minded lust for his mana-rich flesh and blood. With no time for thought Bai brought up a barrier of water that caught the demon well short and gave him a sliver of time to consider his next move. A sliver was less than he needed, however, and the demon skirted the edges of his shield and scored a ragged slash to his upper leg bringing a gasp from his throat. He scuttled away from the creature not quite overcome with the terror that wrenched at his chest, his shield of water shifted with a thought to block its progress. The demon yowled, hissed and scratched at the barrier which he''d widened even at the expense of its density. Scrambling back until he was stopped by a solid feeling tree, Bai breathed a sigh of relief as he realized the demon was alone. He surrounded the malicious thing with water and then pulled the water down on the demon''s head, letting the water infiltrate the creature''s nasal passages while trailing downwards until the water filled its lungs, suffocating it in moments that must have been agony. Bai could not bring himself to care and he resumed his panicked sprint the moment the creature expired. The path he took widened into a more traveled one that had been trodden upon by generations of young warriors eager for their first taste of battle and the more wary and weary tread of more seasoned warriors venturing out again to secure the safety of the village. Centering himself, Bai thrust his senses out as far as he dared trying to locate the others and finding nothing. Panic again threatened to overwhelm him as he knew that he should have felt at least one of the groups, but coming up with nothing. Still he pressed on, near oblivious to his surroundings as he hurtled along the path while pressing out with his senses searching for any sign of the villagers and finding no one. He stumbled to a halt. How long had he run? He could not say. Yet he knew with a bone deep surety that he should have caught some sense of one of the hunting parties. Despite the single demon he had killed he knew he would never be known for his prowess at killing monsters. At the same time he also knew that there was no other in his village more skilled in sensing life, whether human, demon or other. Bai not only failed to sense the young warriors, but he realized now that he could not sense any life other than the demons. He could well understand why there was a lack of animal life as the demons would have chased away the ordinary creatures of the woodlands. This failed to explain why he did not sense any human life, not even behind him in the village. Unless, he thought, and then he refused to think any further. A traitorous thought wriggled into his mind and he realized they must be dead. All of them, even the villagers, must be dead. Leaving him utterly alone. Chapter Two Collapsing to the bare earth of the well trod path Bai collected his thoughts and forced himself into a calm state of mind which helped him to bring his spirit into a similar state. He needed to attend to the jagged wound the demon had inflicted on his upper leg. The pain he had ignored as he searched for the hunting parties was now a steady burn he could no longer put off. Worse, he worried about possible infection. Pushing his awareness deep into his torn flesh Bai detected the incipient rot and foulness of a demon-inflicted wound. Healing such wounds was not unfamiliar to him and he rooted out the foulness inflicted by the demon from both his flesh and blood before knitting the flesh together, restoring his leg in only a bit more time than it had taken the demon to rip through it. Despite having repaired his flesh Bai nearly gave into despair, the sheer weight of having lost everything threatening to overwhelm him. He didn''t know what he should do next. The village was almost certainly lost, their warriors dead, and everyone save himself a victim of the demon''s savage assault. Returning to the village would be foolhardy. Who could know what demons would be up to after a successful raid? He only knew he didn''t want to know. If they simply left the dead to rot in relative peace that would be enough of a nightmare. But the stories villagers told around communal fires suggested far worse things. Bai was of a mind to put as much distance between himself and the depravities his imagination invoked as was possible in the remaining hours before night fall. Pulling himself to his feet he steadied himself before taking a step forward and then another as he firmed his resolve to continue putting one foot after another on the path even as he pushed thoughts of the likely fates of the other villagers from his mind. It was then he realized he was traveling farther from the city near his village and putting himself farther from safety, not nearer.While his feet continued their determined shuffle along the path his mind was paralyzed with indecision. The way to the city lay through the demon-infested village - unless they had continued on to assault the city, but that was insanity. No, Bai knew they would still be haunting the dead. Which left continuing as he was the only real choice, though the uncertainty of how he would survive alone outside of the only home he had ever known left him chilled.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ... True night neared as Bai stumbled to an abrupt halt. As had happened earlier, silence as total as the dark on a moonless night blanketed the woods and a distinct unease caused his shoulders and back to tighten. Somehow the demons were near though not so near that he could sense them. Cursing into the dead air Bai did the only thing he could; he left the path and fled, forcing himself through dense foliage and past low-hanging branches with prickly needles. The needles stung and scratched, tiny cuts were opened by brambles, and his knees and elbows were bruised, abraded and cut in his frequent tumbles. Panic guided him in much the manner of a drunk horseman, leaving him reeling where he needed to be striding ahead with purpose. The demons surrounded him though he had yet to see one with his own eyes. He could sense no fewer than five of the murderous creatures and as many as seven at any one moment; there could be more.He didn''t know, and pushing himself to ignore the growing list of painful injuries and continue his flight was the only path to continued breathing. Even faltering for mere seconds as he recovered from another stumble allowed his pursuers to pull nearer. As he broke into a clearing, falling to his abused knees, Bai could sense not five, not seven, but nine demons pressing closer to where he knelt. Yet he was unable to move as he fixed his eyes on a what could only be described as a open doorway set in the air in the center of the clearing, a faint glow emanating from the outer edge of the door. A tenth and eleventh demon joined the demonic pack and he could hear they had drawn close. He lurched to his feet and ran for the portal - something he was familiar with in the sense that he had read numerous stories of portals appearing before am intrepid adventurer and setting them on a grand adventure. And apart from adventure Bai hoped fervently in those spare moments before a ravening horde of demons would fall upon him that this portal would lead to safety. The first demon broke into the clearing as Bai sprinted toward the beckoning emptiness of the portal, snarling and hissing in impotent rage as Bai breached the threshold and dashed through the doorway. Silence hit first, followed by an absolute darkness and finally by unconsciousness as the portal stole his life. Chapter Three Pain was the first indication he lived. The next was a blindingly bright light that stabbed into his brain past tightly held eyelids. The last was hunger, a feeling just short of starvation, suggesting it had been long since he last ate. He opened his eyes, squinting as he did so, and then averted his eyes from the unbearably bright light. Bai shivered as he realized he was cold, that he lay in a shallow pool of water, and that the ground he laid upon felt like rock. The cool water seeped into and soaked through his thin robe, undershirt and trousers. Despite the light, he was sure he was underground. The air was a bit stale, hanging heavy about him as he lay in the water. With a start he heaved himself up and shook some of the dampness from his body and clothing. A sudden thought had him looking to one side and the other. There was no sign of the demon that had been so close to him as he hurtled through the beckoning portal. Neither that one nor any of the others. He had survived. Possibly the only one of his village to do so in the face of the unprecedented assault. Reaching out with his life sense he felt only lifeless rock and perhaps the dimmest sense of distant life, though that may be little more than lichen or moss adhering to the rock. He was alone and, for the moment, free of any threats. Peering up at the overly bright light he could only conclude it was the sun as seen through a chimney of rock, which would indicate that in whatever place in found himself it was no longer night. Wondering where he was, knowing that the answer was nowhere in his own world, he was nonetheless startled by the appearance of a blue-tinged window with writing he recognized and could read
You have entered the World Dungeon. Are you prepared to delve further?
He answered wordlessly and the writing disappeared, replaced with another window.
You have chosen to descend into the World Dungeon. Please choose your class adventurer.
As he had thought, the portal was to lead him to become an adventurer. But he was ignorant of what a class might be. As swift as thought another of the blue-tinged windows appeared, leaving him with a page or more of writing to read. Mage Warrior Fighter Rogue Thief Assassin Cleric Priest Healer Alchemist Illusionist Warlock Shaman Occultist Berserker Duelist Ranger Warden Guardian Bastion Monk Hunter Slayer Tinkerer Necromancer Summoner Archer Levy Keeper Loremaster
Select a class (Due to your lack of a party certain classes are unavailable.)
While some of the classes were familiar, many others were only strange names. He wondered what a Mage was and was startled when the window before him was overlapped by another window. Mage: Cast prepared spells or use your innate knowledge of mana and magic to create unique effects affecting the world around you with the power of your mind and your implacable willpower. This class relies heavily on your Intelligence and Willpower attributes and requires a minimum Intelligence of 12 and a minimum of 10 in Willpower. While not considered a support class, A mage works best in groups able to shield them from taking too much damage. Mana he understood but he almost scoffed out loud at the mention of spells and magic. What did a cultivator need with such things? Though the class would seem a natural fit, Bai realized. He would need to figure out if his Intelligence and Willpower met the requirements before he even considered choosing Mage In response to his thought, a new blue-tinged window appeared.
Bai Yao
Race Human
Class None
Level None
Health 100
Stamina 100
Mana 140
Attributes
Strength 10
Agility 9
Constitution 10
Intelligence 14
Perception 11
Wisdom 10
Willpower 11
Charisma 8
The hovering pages of information were informative and served their purpose well. If he were to guess, the attributes seemed to approximate his own attributes well. Such a low mark in Charisma might explain his relationships with the former villagers. While his high mark for Intelligence was born out in his scholarship and progress in cultivating his path. The attributes set at ten seemed to indicate an average mark. Agility''s slightly lower than average mark could not be argued after his stumbling through the brush and trees of the forest. Deciding that a mana-based class would be the best fit for him after examining his attributes, he formed a thought around looking at the mana classes only. Mage Cleric Priest Healer Illusionist Warlock Shaman Occultist Necromancer Summoner Ignoring the unavailable classes he focused on Warlock and the expected window appeared. Warlock: Similar in many aspects to the Occultist, the Warlock dabbles in the dark arts which include summoning and trafficking with demons, devils, and other diabolical creatures of the dusk and night. Warlocks are not much in demand with dungeon delving parties due to their nefarious connections with the underworld. Clerics and Priests as well as Wardens are unable to truck with the dark magic users due to their own holy affinities. Requirements for this class are for 12 or greater Intelligence and Charisma, and no less than 14 in Willpower.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Bai shivered aghast that such a class would be available. Even had he the necessary attributes he would never consider becoming a Warlock no matter the power. The notes suggested Occultist would be similar so he focused his thoughts on the Necromancer. Necromancer: A strong stomach may be necessary to take on the work of a Necromancer as they deal in the raising of the dead and the command of the undead. At higher levels they gain the ability to question or interrogate the recently deceased, and can even communicate with the spirits of those no longer attached to their body at later levels. The class is very limited in areas without a population of undead, or until the practitioner is able to raise sufficient numbers of undead to battle for them. Requirements are the same as Mage; Intelligence of 12 or greater and a Willpower of 10 or greater. A high Charisma might also be beneficial in overcoming the innate uneasiness most feel when witnessing the power of the Necromancer. The Summoner was the only remaining mana-based class available and Mage seemed the best fit. The window for the Summoner displayed itself for him. Summoner: A more general summoning class more suited to the temperament of the typical Adventurer. Summoners are, in fact, unable to summon the undead or denizens of the underworld. They are able to summon animals, beasts, and exotic varieties of the same from other worlds or even other planes of existence at higher levels. The two types of summons are compulsion and companion. As such this class requires higher than average levels of Charisma and Willpower, the higher the easier the Summoner''s path will be. A minimum of 12 Intelligence is required. Bai mentally chose to take on the Mage class and he felt a frisson of unfamiliar energy shiver through his body and mind.
Congratulations! Mage is an excellent choice and will doubtless serve you well should you survive your initial levels. You may now choose your starter spells. Please focus your intent on the type of spell you would like to view before you make your choice.
The ominous note about surviving and his recent nearly fatal experiences with the demons makes him think of offensive Spells. He was tired of being weak in this world or any other. Fireball Ice Shard Earth Spear Air Blade Mana Dart A flicker of thought expanded a window describing the first spell on the short list. Create a small Fireball with a thought. The initial elemental spells are simple affairs not requiring complex hand movements, invocations or much of anything. The damage output is minor: 5 points of damage with a 20% chance to inflict damage over time of 2 points per second for up to ten seconds. The primary benefit of the beginner elemental spells is the ranged nature of the attack. Ten mana cost to cast. Cast time is one second with a five second cool down. He sent a tendril of thought asking to view Ice Shard and was rewarded with the window. Create a small Ice Shard with a thought. The initial elemental spells are simple affairs not requiring complex hand movements, invocations or much of anything. The damage output is minor: 5 points of damage with a 20% chance to inflict damage over time of 2 points per second for up to ten seconds. The primary benefit of the beginner elemental spells is the ranged nature of the attack. Ten mana cost to cast. Cast time is one second with a five second cool down. Next, he focused on viewing the Earth Spear. Create a short Earth Spear with a thought. The initial elemental spells are simple affairs not requiring complex hand movements, invocations or much of anything. The damage output is minor: 10 points of damage. Earth Spear also imparts a bonus of 20% to penetration. The primary benefit of the beginner elemental spells is the ranged nature of the attack. Ten mana cost to cast. Cast time is one second with a five second cool down. The window for the next spell followed. Create a small Air Blade with a thought. The initial elemental spells are simple affairs not requiring complex hand movements, invocations or much of anything. The damage output is minor: 10 points of damage. Air Blade also imparts a bonus of 20% to penetration. The primary benefit of the beginner elemental spells is the ranged nature of the attack. Ten mana cost to cast. Cast time is one second with a five second cool down. The only remaining spell was Mana Dart. The window sprung into place. Create a small Mana Dart. This spell synergizes with Bai Lao''s innate ability to cultivate and manipulate mana. A unique feature of this spell is to channel the spell for greater damage or to chain casts faster than would be possible with the basic elemental spells. With increases in Willpower this spell will become more potent. Basic damage output is 10 points which can be increased by 5 points per second of channeling at the expense of ten mana for the initial cast and five mana per second of channeling. Base cast time is one second with a one second cool down. He focused on choosing Mana Dart as his first spell and felt a lesser frisson of energy that targeted only his mind.
In addition to your first spell the Mage class starts with Mana Sense and Basic Mana Manipulation. Basic Mana Manipulation has been upgraded to Advanced Mana Manipulation due to your own innate ability.
You are awarded 100 experience points for beginning your journey into the World Dungeon. You are now a level one Mage. There are no attribute points to distribute at this level.
You are now ready to take your first steps into the World Dungeon. Good luck! You''ll need it, Adventurer.
While the final message was a far cry from encouragement, he felt it was more important to concentrate on his surroundings. His life sense alerted him to the sudden appearance of a mass of life. Rats. The scuttling mass was nearly upon him and his new spell seemed inadequate to the task of dealing with the dozens upon dozens he could now see. In killing the demon Bai had used water to suffocate the Infernal creature and it was this same tactic he thought to use upon sighting the horde of rats. He pulled water from the ground and from the air and spread the water like a blanket over the writhing mass. His sense of small animals grew as the water met skin and it was the smallest thing to let the liquid find its way through gaping mouths and pink nostrils and force it into dozens of heaving lungs. As he sensed the expiration of one tiny mammal or another, Bai retracted the tendrils of water and moved on to another rat, all the while scurrying away from the sharp teeth and claws.
Congratulations! You have killed your first creatures in the World Dungeon. You''re still alive! That''s unexpected. 10 Exp x 168 normal rats (1,680 experience earned) You are now level two. One point to Intelligence and one point to Willpower gained. You have three attribute points to distribute. You may choose a new spell. You are now level three.One point to Intelligence and one point to Willpower gained. You have three attribute points to distribute. You may choose a new spell.
The usual blue-tinged windows informed him of his gains from having slaughtered 168 of the disgusting and terrifying mammals. Apparently, he would get more experience from killing than he had for merely entering the dank dungeon. The energy that riffled through his mind with the appearance of the window of words was muted in comparison with the earlier changes. The adjustments, while significant, were less noticeable in their effect. Ignoring the many, many small bodies - seeming to have simply dropped into a deep repose before reaching him where he sat on the hard rock - Bai considered the implications of distributing the points to his attributes. Death from the teeth and claws of so many creatures could have ended his life as easily as a demon which meant his health was important. After considering the attributes he decided his Constitution must be linked to his health. He focused his thoughts on putting three of the attribute points into Constitution. He then focused on viewing the window with his attributes.
Bai Yao
Race Human
Class Mage
Level 3
Health 130
Stamina 130
Mana 160
Attributes
Strength 10
Agility 9
Constitution 13
Intelligence 16
Perception 11
Wisdom 10
Willpower 13
Charisma 8
The correlation between Constitution and the number of health points was easy to see and he felt satisfied in his presumption having proved correct. He decided to split the remaining points, one going to Intelligence and two going to Willpower. He was gratified to see his Mana jump by ten points giving him a total of 170 Mana points. He only hoped that the increase in his Willpower would show similar concrete results even if they were not shown in the window. Assuming ten was average his Intelligence now sat seven points above that of an average person and his Willpower was five points above average. Unless his quick reaction to the threat of the rats was any indication he could not honestly say he felt more intelligent. He only hoped the ephemeral gains would result in his continued survival in the World Dungeon. He also had two spells to choose though he hoped there would be more to choose from than what had been offered before. As no window of spells had appeared he focused his will which caused the expected window to spring forth. Fireball Ice Shard Earth Spear Air Blade Minor Leech Minor Leech was the only new spell on the list so he concentrated his intent for a moment. Minor Leech allows the caster to heal a small amount of their health in the form of damage to the affected creature. With increases in Willpower this spell will become more potent. Basic damage output is 10 points - healing 10 points of health - which can be increased by 5 points per second of channeling at the expense of ten mana for the initial cast and five mana per second of channeling. Base cast time is one second with a ten second cool down. He dismissed the window with an imagined wave of his hand which brought him back to the list of spells. He selected Air Blade and Minor Leech. He was thankful for the additions to his growing arsenal of spells. Alone he would need every advantage. Sighing, he stepped around the bodies of the dead rats. There were so many of them. He had to kick aside some of the limp bodies to clear the last few feet before he could continue into the dungeon. Crudely hewn rock walls pressed in on him as he strode forward seeming to funnel him towards the next trial. He only hoped that he would not prove as useless as the hunters had deemed him. If rats were only the beginning, he dared not contemplate what dangers lay in wait. As if his thoughts were the catch to a trap there was a skittering that sounded just around the bend in the tightening corridor. He readied his first spell, channeling his mana into the Mana Dart as he stalked in mincing steps around the bend. He cringed even as he quickened his steps and let his Mana Dart loose into the terrifying face of a giant spider. It screeched as the projectile impacted, punching through its skull and ending the arachnid in an instant. For a moment he felt satisfaction before realizing there were more of the massive spiders. He retreated into the tight corridor and sent another Mana Dart flying. The bolt of pure mana impacted with far less force and damage and he chained a series of the Mana Darts, dealing 50 damage in seconds. The final dart hit a third spider as the second dropped to the rocky floor dead. He whooped startling himself before focusing on chaining another four Mana Darts into the spider before him. It too dropped to the ground dead. His pool of mana was nearly expended and there were still more of the giant arachnids. Only the still forms of the three he had killed and the narrow corridor stopped the spiders from overwhelming him. Retreating down the passage Bai forced himself to relax. A single spell does not define him. He was a cultivator on the Path of Water. The hunters may have declared him useless yet he was alive and they were victims of infernal beings, dead. He could handle a handful or two of spiders, no matter how large they were. Fortified by his own resolve, Bai moved further along the passage again. He met the many-limbed monstrosities with a wall of water pushing them back with inexorable force. How many had ever stood before a flood, or even a minor deluge as he had created? In that moment he was the water that pushed against the arachnids, he was the water that flooded their lungs and once more stole life at the will of a cultivator of the Path of Water. Within moments Bai found himself again the beneficiary of death as he was hit by another notification.
You have slain 18 Giant Spiders and gained 1,350 experience. You are now at level four and have three attribute points to distribute.
Somehow he had survived another horde of creatures bent on his destruction, and yet he feared what would happen if another mass of vicious animals were to overwhelm him. He could die before he was able to summon an adequate defense. That was the reality: his life was defined in the slightest of margins. With the barest of thoughts he assigned the points to Constitution as he still felt weak and in danger of succumbing to death as easily as he so far had caused the rats and spiders to so easily fall to him.
Bai Yao
Race Human
Class Mage
Experience 3030
Level 4
Health 160
Stamina 160
Mana 170
Attributes
Strength 10
Agility 9
Constitution 16
Intelligence 17
Perception 11
Wisdom 10
Willpower 15
Charisma 8
He would have liked to increase his Intelligence and thereby his mana points but surviving the next onslaught was foremost on his mind. Not being offered a new spell was something he easily accepted; he had yet to use more than one. High-stepping over the spider bodies Bai pushed his way through the passage and into a modest cavern from which the giant spiders had come. The space was mostly dark and gloomy and would have been impenetrable darkness were it not for a smattering of softly glowing crystals embedded in the rock walls. "Is there somebody out there? Hello?" A feminine voice called out, drawing his eyes to an opening in the wall not too far from him bracketed by a pair of glowing crystals. Wary of a trap, he readied a Mana Dart while stepping up to the opening. He yelped and jumped back as a girl screamed at his appearance.